Shadows on the Wall
by BlackFlames123
Summary: Ron Weasley and Harry Potter are dead? No way. Rose isn't accepting that. So when she's asked to investigate further into the matter, of course she's going to do it. But what happens when she finds out a bit too much? And naturally Scorpius Malfoy is going to get involved in this somehow. As long as no one finds out what she knows, she'll be fine. Or so she thought.


**Hello guys! This is my first ever proper fanfiction, which I hope you'll enjoy. By the way, yes, I do know that the Scamander twins are a lot younger than Rose, Albus and Scorpius. But I made them a bit older for the purpose of the fanfic.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course. **

_**Chapter One: The Death of an Era**_

**Rose Weasley:**

_Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are dead. _My Uncle and my Dad are dead. I still remember how I couldn't quite grasp this concept when I'd first been told of their deaths. I still don't comprehend it. I mean, how could I possibly? They can't be dead. It's the famous Harry Potter and his sidekick, for Merlin's sake. I won't ever believe this. I still remember the last thing my Dad and Uncle had told me.

_"Come on now, Rosie! We're meeting Uncle Harry and the rest on the platform," Mum told me, as she scurried along to the supposedly solid metal ticket box dividing Platforms Nine and Ten. We obviously knew that this was the entrance to Platform 9¾ and not just some random chunk of metal. _

_ I was lagging behind my brother, father and mother, as we approached. Finally I'd caught up to them and I ran into the wall quickly, followed by Hugo. Once my parents had joined us, I pushed my trolley around, until I spotted the Potters. Albus waved us over, grinning from ear to ear and Lily bounced up and down. Albus looked so much like his father. Albus has got untidy black hair, a thin face, and short stature... Quite like my Uncle Harry. Albus has also inherited the pretty green eyes everyone adores. He's taller than his father was (but so is everyone... Just kidding Uncle Harry), when Uncle Harry was in 6th year._

_ "Morning guys!" I called out to them, "Looking forward to starting 6th year, Albus?" _

_ "Of course I am! And I already know you are," He chuckled, with a teasing lilt to his voice. "Where's Lorcan and Lysander?" _

_ I shrugged, flinching when Lily dived at me for a hug. "Ow! Hiya Lily." _

_ "Rosie!" Her soprano voice squeaked. "I missed you over the summer!"_

_ "I missed you too, Lils." I told her fondly, letting go of the handles on my trolley to return the hug. She let go after a while and picked up her trunk, yanking it over to a compartment in the train. Albus ruffled my already-frizzy-enough-as-it-is hair and kissed both his parents goodbye. Uncle Harry whispered something to both Hugo and Albus, but I couldn't quite catch what he was saying to them. _

_ As Mum and Dad were squabbling about who was driving home afterwards, I turned to my Aunt Ginny, grinning. "Hey! How's James doing?" _

_ "He's doing great, Ro. He absolutely loves his new flat." Aunt Ginny said, folding her arms across her chest. "He's finally decided what field he wants to go into."_

_ "Really? That's great! What has he decided?" I asked. As James and Fred had always been the school pranksters, like their namesakes, James' never really decided what field he was going to go into after Hogwarts. Fred naturally inherited the joke shop, as did his sister Roxanne. So it didn't matter for them so much. _

_ "He wants to go into media. As a journalist!" Aunt Ginny spoke with a proud voice. I guess she, like everyone else, assumed James wouldn't really have a proper job. James himself always just wanted to hop between part time jobs._

_ "Oh, that's great! He'd actually be really good. I'm guessing he'd report to the Quibbler?" _

_ "Of course, I wouldn't allow him to work for anyone else!" She laughed, before bringing me into a bone-crushing hug. Jeez, at least we know where Lily got her strength from. "It's time for you to go, Rosie. Have a great 6th year and look after Albus! Don't get into too much trouble." _

_ I chortled at her remark, pulling away from the hug and waving. I bounced over to my Mum, hugging her tightly. "Bye Mum! Have a great time without me- Although we know that won't happen." I joked._

_ "Bye Rose, have a good time! You're going to have so much fun." She beamed, kissing my forehead. She let go of me and I moved over to Dad and Uncle Harry, who'd just said bye to Albus and Hugo. The boys quickly followed Lily into her compartment. I wondered why they'd -especially Albus- left without me, but I decided not to comment or question them afterwards. I smiled at Dad and Uncle Harry, hugging my Uncle first and then embracing my Dad. Dad chuckled and ruffled my hair, glancing briefly at Uncle Harry and nodding. _

_ "Rosie, there's something we need to tell you." Dad said softly, loosening his arms around me. "Your Uncle Harry and I are setting off for an Auror mission tomorrow."_

_ I tensed up at his words, glancing between the two men. Sure, they'd been on plenty of Auror missions before, but I was always so nervous when they went. "Good luck, Daddy. You too, Uncle Harry." I murmured, burying my face in my Dad's chest. _

_ "It'll be okay, Rose." Uncle Harry told me reassuringly, with that warm smile of his._

_ "Of course it will! I promise that we'll be back, Rosie." Dad grinned, kissing my forehead. "I promise!"_

He promised that he'd be back. That just goes to show that most promises can't be kept. No, that sounds like I'm blaming them for dying. I'm not; I really just can't seem to accept that they're dead. You see, three weeks after I'd settled into my 6th year here at Hogwarts, I found out from my cousin, James. It was a very painful memory...

_"Lysander! Where are you going?" I yelled after him, as Lorcan and Albus exchanged a look. Lysander was skipping down the corridor, throwing confetti everywhere._

_ "COME AND GET ME PEEVES, YOU BITCH-" Lysander screamed, turning around and skipping back in our direction. After Peeves had dropped a water balloon on Lysander for about the 5th time this year, Lysander finally lost it. I don't know how he's planning on getting revenge with confetti, but sometimes it's better not to question the Scamander twins. _

_ "Lysander, I don't think he's going to show up if you sound angry and slightly hysterical." Albus pointed out gently. _

_ "Bro, you're batshit crazy." Lorcan told him kindly, grinning. Lysander rolled his eyes at that, poking my arm. _

_ "Roooose?" _

_ "What Lysander?"_

_ "Can you help me try and get revenge- Oh, look, it's Hugo and Lily!" Lysander waved at something behind me, smiling. _

_ I swivelled around on my heels, waving at my cousin and brother. Behind them, a taller figure approached, with a grimmer expression than the ones Hugo and Lily were wearing. I frowned, curious as to why James Sirius Potter was back at Hogwarts. _

_ "Hey James," Albus said slowly, narrowing his eyes. "What are you-?"_

_ "I needed to talk to you, Rose, Hugo and Lily. But I wanted you four to be together when I did..." He shrugged, his eyes beginning to water. I was slightly shocked and nodded, bracing myself for whatever was about to happen. Lorcan linked his arm through mine, patting my shoulder sympathetically whilst Lysander sat down on the floor. _

_ "Okay, this isn't easy for me to say." James whispered, stepping closer, "Nothing's going to happen about it yet. You'll find out, see the family and then return to your everyday lives. Dad, Uncle Harry, and Uncle Ron are dead."_

Those words still echoed in my head for days after I found out. It was as if James' hoarse voice carved them into the back of my head. It was probably the worst thing that had happened to me in a long time. I hadn't been this fucked up since Grandma Molly passed away, three years ago. I couldn't physically get it into my head that they were dead. I still have to tell myself that they're dead. But it won't sink in. And it never will.

I spent the next few days crying with my family. After James' delivered the news, we were taken to the Headmistress' office and floo'd over to the Burrow. I barely acknowledged anyone... I remember feeling lightheaded, collapsing onto the couch and sobbing uncontrollably. But what good was crying going to do? The family members who were still in Hogwarts and I were only permitted a week off school. It was the last day of school when I finally stopped crying. I was more in trance, at that point. I still have my moments. Hugo wasn't talking to anyone. He'd gone completely mute, much to everyone's despair. Lily was continuously crying in her room, only really talking to me or Aunt Ginny. James and Albus were complete messes. It was like they were zombies and it worried me so much. Albus, on top of the dead-like behaviour, had his moments of hysteria. I don't want to talk about it...

On the last day left of our allocated leave, I had decided to wander around the house and eventually wandered around outside. You see, after my Grandma passed away, Grandpa refused to leave his shed which was located somewhere near the Burrow. I don't know what he did in there and my parents always advised that I stayed away from him for a bit, while he got his head around things. However, he never came out after that. People brought him food and water, etc, but none of the children were ever actually permitted to see him. But that day I knew I had to see him. And he asked me to do something.

_"Grandpa?" I said quietly, knocking on the door of the shed. No reply. I gently opened the door, which caught on a gust of wind and swung wide open. No going back now..._

_ I shuffled forward, noting how much bigger the shed was from the inside than on the outside. There was a tray of plugs on the dusty surface of the work table, plus a mug of coffee- Goodness knows how long that's been there. I ventured forward, deciding to ignore the shed and its contents. I was simply looking for my Grandpa, not to be bemused by muggle products. _

_ Finally, I found my Grandpa. He was slouched over an old photo album, accompanied by Pig the owl and a glass of water. I stood there, waiting to be noticed- I really didn't want to disturb him. I took a glimpse of the room, and was truly heartbroken. There were pictures of my Grandma and family planted everywhere, some framed and some just stuck to the wall. __**A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love**_ _was playing on a continuous loop, and Grandpa hummed along to the tune. It really did break my heart. _

_ I cleared my throat, causing him to jump and look at me with his bloodshot eyes. His face melted into a soft smile, though it didn't reach his eyes the same way it used to. "Rosie! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"_

_ I opened my mouth to speak, but I just choked on tears. Grandpa opened his arms and I ran into his warm embrace. Looking down at the photo album, I could see that he was looking at pictures of Dad and Uncle Harry. So... He did know._

_ "I can't believe they're gone!" I wept, pulling away from him after a while. _

_ "I can't believe it either, Rose." He whispered, shutting the photo album. After a few moments of silence, Grandpa started rummaging around in his draws. _

_ "Grandpa? Why do you stay in here?" I asked quietly. I heard a heavy sigh and Grandpa emerged with a box. _

_ "Your Grandma was everything to me. After Fred, your Uncle, had died I was a mess. She kept me sane and happy. When she died, I couldn't face it. So I hideaway in here, living in the past. Now that I've lost my youngest son and Harry as well, I don't know what I'll do. My baby boy, Rose. My baby..." His voice was barely a whisper by this point, as he handed me a photo album. "Keep this. It might help you get through the pain... I don't want you or anyone else ending up like me."_

_ "Then come out of here! Show them that no matter what, people cope." I spluttered, my eyes watering again._

_ "I'm afraid I can't do that," He sighed, rising to his feet and putting his hands on my shoulders. "You know, I don't believe that they're really dead. It's the 'Boy who lived,' after all."_

_ "It's weird how they're not telling us what they were all working on." I muttered, "The entire team have been 'killed' but why aren't they telling us what they died for?" _

_ His hands gripped my shoulders more tightly, "Rose? Do me a favour? Can you find out what they were working for? And how they died?" _

_ "M- Me? Why? There's no way they're going to tell me!"_

_ "You're a clever girl, Rose. You'll be able to figure out something? For me?" He asked quietly, his eyes brimming with tears. "Please?"_

_ Naturally I couldn't bear to say no him. "Of course, okay... If you do something for me." _

_ "What's that?" _

_ "You write to me as much as you can. I want to talk to my Grandpa again. We all miss you." _

_ "...Fine. You've got yourself a deal, Rosie." _

Somehow I was going to have to find out the three questions that my entire family were wondering. What was the mission? How did they die? Why did they die? I knew it wasn't going to be easy, so naturally I was kind of freaking out inside. After returning to school, I spent most of my time with Albus, Lysander and Lorcan. They were my best friends. It was easier being around them. Whilst Albus and Lorcan were in Gryffindor, Lysander and I were in Ravenclaw. It worked out quite nicely. They definitely helped me manage a lot better than I thought I would, that day we returned.

"Rose?" A voice pierced through my thoughts, causing me to jump a little. How had anyone found me? I was curled up on the steps of the Astronomy Tower, which wasn't exactly a place I often went to.

"Who is it?" I called out, standing up and brushing myself off.

"Lysander," He said, coming into view. His green eyes twinkled as he watched me cautiously, as if worried about what I'd say, "Professor McGonagall wants to see you in an hour."

"Oh, right," She didn't have the chance to talk to any of us earlier. She was tidying up her office because she was meeting someone, or something like that anyway. She just told us that she'd speak to us later, after we floo'd back into her office. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to her anyway, so it was fine by me. However, I'm still not in the mood to talk to her. "Do you know what she wants? Because if she's just planning on saying, 'I'm sorry for you-'"

"Rose," Lysander interrupted, beckoning me over, "I don't know what she wants to talk to you about. Calm down love, you need to get into your robes before you see her."

I sighed and reluctantly walked out with him. He patted my shoulder sympathetically and together we headed for the Ravenclaw Tower. You know, seeing her wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I could always find some things out about what happened... Then again, what's the likelihood that she'd tell me?

"I need to go to the library, Rose." Lysander told me, as we came to a halt in front of the portrait entrance. "Get ready and just relax for a bit, okay? In an hour or so, go to McGonagall... You'll probably run into Hugo, Lily and Albus if Lorcan found them like he was supposed to."

I nodded, smiling slightly at him, "Mmkay, thank you so much Ly. I'll catch you later then," I said, answering the question and stepping into the Ravenclaw common room. I shuffled off to the stairwell, proceeding up and into my dormitory. I shared the dorm with three others, Jodie Wood, Natasha Croft and Lola Jordan. We get on, I suppose, but the three of them are really good friends so I'm kind of an awkward fourth wheel.

Anyway, I quickly changed into my robes and perched on the edge of my bed. Since I had an hour to kill, I decided to look at the photo album my Grandpa had given me. It had a small brown leather case, which had the names of every Weasley carved onto it. I ran my fingers over my Dad's name and Uncle Harry's name, before unbuckling the book and swinging it open. The first picture was of my entire family. Three years ago, before Grandma passed away. We all looked so bloody happy and excited there... Why did it feel like I was never going to feel like that again? I'm aware that everyone dies anyway. But I just couldn't... I was so shocked. I always braced myself for the worst when Uncle Harry and Dad went on their assignments. But this time they _promised_ that they'd be back. But they're not.

Deciding that the photos weren't the best thing to look at right now, I put the photo album down. What really blew me over about that photo was my Grandpa. He was laughing, his arms wrapped around Grandma as he glanced proudly at everyone. While the others and I may be hurting, he was definitely in the most amount of pain. Which is why I decided I absolutely had to find out what he'd wanted me to find out.

I jumped over to Jodie's bed, picking her quill off her bedside table. As there was still some black ink on the nib, I quickly wrote _'Write to Grandpa,'_ across my arm. Setting the quill down where I found it, I legged it out the dorm, down the stairs, into a few people and out the Ravenclaw common room. I reckoned that I'd get a chance to speak to McGonagall before the others showed up, rather than after they did. I wanted to talk to her about this privately anyway.

After running through the corridors, up some flights of stairs and into a few more students, I eventually made it to the Headmaster's [or now mistress'] Tower. I remembered that it was the third floor that I wanted to be on, so I tramped up the stairs. Eventually, I reached my required destination. I was panting to some extent as I started racking through my brain to remember the password to get into the Head's office. I'd never really been in there before, apart from a couple of times. But I usually was with a teacher to praise something I'd done, or to be threatened with expulsion in the company of Scorpius Malfoy. Either way, the gargoyle was just staring gormlessly at me, which didn't help at all.

"Fudge Flies?" I said, raising an eyebrow. I was pretty sure that that was the password- Sure enough, the gargoyle leapt out the way, producing a sturdy flight of stairs. Sighing with relief, I walked up the staircase. It felt like it was taking me forever to walk up the stairs. It slowly ascended to a stop, revealing an oaken double door, which had been left open by a fraction. I took a step closer, kneeling down beside the door so that I could listen to what was being said.

"...Very tragic, indeed," Said the voice of Professor McGonagall.

"We're doing all that we can to find out what happened." A male voice murmured; one that I didn't recognise.

"How many did you say? 18 Aurors? Those poor families."

"Yes, it's unfortunate that we can't tell them the details of how and why they died... We don't even know." What? They don't know?

"Mm, it's very upsetting. Especially as I knew every one of those Aurors. Tell me, why did they even go wherever they went in the first place?"

There was a loud sigh. I crept forwards and looked between the crack in the door, to see them properly. "There was an increased amount of people going missing and dying. A drastic amount more, in fact. It was called the Libra Project. I believe they went to investigate further and were attacked on the campsite. But that's all I'm fully aware off..." He said warily. His tone sent shivers down my spine. Like he didn't even know... Suddenly, I spotted a small envelope beside his chair, left to collect dust on the floor. Finders keepers. The noble thing to do would be to return it to McGonagall, but I don't know... I'd much rather read it and then return it to her.

"That's terrible... I suppose that you're not going to tell the families this?"

"No, this is classified information. I must go now, but a colleague of mine will be back shortly to talk with you in further details about how to keep Hogwarts safe." There was a scraping noise. I scrambled back a bit, tucking into the corner. The door opened and both McGonagall and the man exited out the door, but fortunately, they didn't see me. Once they'd started walking down the stairs, I rushed into the office.

My automatic reaction was to grab the envelope that was on the floor. But then I panicked. She'd be back soon! What on earth was I supposed to do?! Instead of searching the office like my initial motivation was, I left. I practically fell down the stairs in my hurry, tucking the envelope into my robe pocket. Slipping passed the gargoyle, I kept running. I didn't stop until I was well away from the Head's Tower. WHY THE HECK DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?

I only stopped running when I'd ran out of breath. I tugged the envelope out of my pocket, furrowing my brow and starting to open it when I walked into someone. The boy's liquid-steel grey eyes scanned me sceptically, his lips curving into a sneer. His blonde hair was surprisingly messy and it hung just above his eyes. His aristocratic features were pale and he had a tall stature- I had to look up to see him properly. His cheek bones were high and fairly pronounced. His nose that was ever so slightly upturned, but not in a snobby or obnoxious way.

"What'cha got there, Weaslette?"

"Oh Merlin..."

It was Scorpius Malfoy.

**Sorry, there wasn't a huge amount of Scorpius in this chapter. But don't worry; the next chapter is from his POV :) Tell me what you thought by reviewing and if you liked it, favourite and follow it! I'd love to hear what everyone thinks! Oh, by the way, how would you guys like Scorpius and Rose's relationship to be like to start with? Friends? Enemies? Tell me how you'd like it to be :3 **

**I think I should also mention that the following chapters will have fewer flashbacks and will be easier to understand. But this one is still important!**


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